Warning indicator for garages



Patented Jan. 29, 1952 WARNING INDICATOR FOR GARAGES Helmuth H. Grossenbach, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application August 22, 1949, Serial No. 111,643

. 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a visual warnmg signal or indicator which is especially, but not necessarily, adapted to be used in a garage to assist the driver of an incoming car to stop same at a given point for safety and other purposes. Although useful in commercial type garages handling numbers of cars, the indicator is primarily adapted for home use, that is, in an individual residence-type garage.

I have frequently observed that residential type garages are usually none too spacious and therefore they seldom accommodate present-day lengthy automobiles. This is especially the situation where, as is often the case, the extra spaces, if any, in a garage are stacked with miscellaneous garden equipment, such as lawn mowers, ladders, screen doors, storm windows, and so on. Nevertheless, and inasmuch as extra space in a garage is employed for storage purposes and also for parking the family car, it is frequent- 1y advisable to provide some sort of a warning or stop signal to indicate the position at which the car must be stopped to enable it to be fully housed and yet to avoid damage to articles that may be stored in the space between the back of the garage and front of the car or on the sides, as the case may be.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economical and practical warning signal or indicator which includes a hose and which hose is compressed by a front wheel of the car in order to bring the stop signal into play.

More specifically, in reducing to practice a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, I contemplate the provision of a projectable and retractable plate carrying the word Stop, which plate is operated by an air pressure actuated piston or plunger, the air pressure being received from a flexible hose which is squeezed and compressed when the coacting automobile wheel runs against or over the hose.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of a garage, showing a portion of an automobile in dotted lines, and showing my improved stop warning indicator and the manner in which same is constructed and used.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale with parts in section and elevation showing all of the essential details, the section being taken on the plane of the vertical line 2--2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguish-E ing reference numerals, the numeral 5 designates a fixed vertical wall of a garage and 6 denotes the, floor and 1 denotes the front wheel of. the automobile which is positioned to operate the warning indicator.

The indicator is characterized by va *special fixture which maybe said "to be substantially U-shaped in cross section. This fixture is denoted, as a unit, by the numeral 8 and comprises a horizontal shelf 9 and a semi-circular attaching flange II! which is adapted to be nailed or otherwise secured to the garage wall. It also has a parallel complemental flange II which stands up vertically from the shelf and is of smaller segmental form. This is a sort of a shield and normally covers the signalling word 12 (the word Stop) on the semi-circular indicator member l3. This member is carried by a piston rod l4 having a piston head l5 slidable in a cylinder I6 forming a part of a neck H. The neck has a flanged end portion l8 fitted into an opening provided in the shelf and there is a reduced nipple at l9 to accommodate the hose means 20. This means comprises a length of suitably flexible hose having a vertical branch 2| which attaches to the collar l9 and having a horizontal branch 22 which is adapted to rest on the floor in the path of movement of the front wheel 1. The otherwise open end of the branch 22 is satisfactorily closed by an appropriate air-tight plug or equivalent closure 23.

The fixture 8 is mounted on the wall at a suitable height to be readily seen by the driver of the car. Normally, the stop sign or signal I2 is down as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Also, it is to be assumed that normally the hose is charged with sufficient air pressure to operate the piston means. Consequently, when the wheel of the automobile strikes the horizontal branch of the hose, said branch is compressed as denoted in Fig. 1. This means that the air pressure then comes into play, exerts pressure against the piston head l5 and forces the piston rod and signal 12 up. It is elevated sufficiently that the word Stop may now be seen above the shield H.

As before stated, warning devices of this type might perhaps be used in larger garages to facilitate parking cars. However, it has been my primary intention to provide these indicators for home use.

Briefly summarized, the invention comprises a suitable fixture or adapter which is applicable to a wall characterized by a shelf and having a shield and a vertically liftable and lowerable warning indicator on the shelf between the attaching flange of latter and the shield-formdevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the

same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as hereindescribed and within the scope of the appended claim. Having described the invention, claimed as new is:

A warning indicatoradentedfor use; in. a pri-. vate garage comprising a wall. fixture, embody-.- ing a horizontal shelf having: a vertical attachmg flange along one longitudinal edge and a second vertical flange. along an opposite longiwhat. is

4 r tudinal edge, said second flange constituting a shield, said shelf having a hole therein, a vertical cylinder passing downwardly through said hole'and having a supporting flange resting on said shelf, a piston slidable in said cylinderand including a rod extending upwardly through said cylinder, a vertical plate attached to the upper end of'said rod, said plate providing a liftable and lowerable signal andv being in a normally down" position" and substantially hidden from view by said shield, and a compressible air charged hose having a vertical branch communicatively secured to said cylinder and a horizontal branch constituting a trip.

TH H. GROSSENBACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STA E -PATENTS Number Name; 7 Date 282,530 Bushforth; Aug. 7', 1.883 1,013,582 Bedini. Jan. 2, 1912 1,836,058 Bancroft Dec; 15., 1931 2,188,948 Huebner Feb. 6., 1940 

